New Way To Connect
Posted by terrepruitt on October 14, 2020
I was recently listening to a recorded meeting for Nia teachers and one of them came on camera to share something she was doing as a way for her to learn a routine and connect with students. The teacher said that she had “pop-up” Zooms where they just popped on for 15 or 20 minutes to review a song and that was it. I thought this was a great way to connect with community during this time when we can’t actually meet in person, so I tried it today. We had a great time.
This being the first time I decided to do this “pop-up” Zoom right after our regular Nia class. I was thinking that it would be easier for the students to just stay then if it were a separate meeting. I figured the Nia students would stay and more people could join. I had notified people of the plan ahead of time. My husband pointed out that advance notification makes it not truly a “pop-up”. To which I responded, that since it was not in my monthly e-mail or on my website I was considering it a “pop-up”.**
When everyone arrived I quickly spoke a bit about katas, what Nia calls a combination of moves. The katas were what I wanted to focus on, the arrangement of the katas can be changed and would take a lot longer than 15 minutes to learn so that was not what this meeting was for — AND THAT WAS THE PART I WAS TRYING TO LEARN. Simple review, me showing/explaining, then them doing. I would check in after each kata and with a “thumbs up” response we would move to the next one. I reviewed the three katas in the song, and then we basically did them to music in the order in which we reviewed them. To me I often feel a review of moves does not prepare me for doing them with the music, so we did them to the song. Then after a “thumbs up” all around we danced the entire song.
The moves were so easy and I didn’t talk too much beforehand so we finished – having danced the song twice – in 20 minutes. We had a lot of fun. I picked a really easy song so we could get through it and have fun.
Thanks to Joan T. for her idea. I think we are going to do it again! Although the next time I will probably send out advanced notification and I might put it on my website so I might have to change the name to a “pop-in”. Pop in, learn the song then go about your day. I want it to be a quick thing so people will come and we can keep it light and fun.
What do you think?
Are you or your teachers finding ways to stay connected while we are not have in-person classes? What are you all doing?
**(edited 11.19.20) I am not calling this quick “non-classes” POP-INS, and having actually classes that are Pop-Ups!
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